Yesterday was 'The Exaltation of the Holy Cross'.The homily was about making the sign of the cross when we go out such as for a meal in a restaurant. The preacher said we should be brave and good Catholics and make the sign of the cross with full confidence in view of everyone when saying grace. I feel that is being like the Pharisees. "Look how good I am".I do say grace, but quietly. Am I right.

_________________God bless.Ewald"The real aim of all spiritual growth is to become your true self." (Thomas Merton)

It's a lot like ashes on Ash Wednesday and whether or not you should wipe them off. I recommend people do whichever they're least comfortable with.

I just had a good laugh at this response. At work we call this "leaning into discomfort". The theory being if every day you come to work things feel comfortable and routine, then that means nothing is improving/changing.

I had an experience recently that relates to this. I printed out a small crucifix to hang in my cubicle. My first thought was to sort of hide it. But there was just something about that feeling that I had to hide it. So I ended up putting it up where anyone within my cube could see it. Initially I was uncomfortable about it as if I was saying "Look at me I'm Catholic". But after a couple of days that feeling went away and nobody has ever said anything about it.

I know what you mean. When I was in RCIA and learning the Mysteries of the Rosary, I taped a Mysteries prayer card to my monitor to help me remember. Then a Divine Mercy. Then a Spiritual Warfare. At the Easter Vigil, I was given a plastic-bead rosary that was safe for work (I work in a detention center), so I hung that off my monitor as well. Then when the Diocese's vocations campaign put out a bookmark-sized calendar of Holy Days of Obligation, that went up. too. Add to it little orts that either get left behind by departing detainees or confiscated during shakedowns -- a crucifix that had broken off a rosary here, a St. Patrick medal off a saint's bracelet there (anything altered from its original form is contraband and must be confiscated), and I've got a legitimate shrine on my desk. Once or twice, I've worried that I've overdone it, but I've never had a single complaint. Not from a detainee, not from a staff member, not even from the whacked-out shrinks we have now. (Oh, how I miss the counselors we used to have!)

I will admit, though, that this evening I put away my little vial of Jordan River holy water that was on top of my CPU. The bottle is glass, which is verboten. The company's #2 guy is flying down for a visit tomorrow, and I can't run the risk of him noticing the bottle. It's been there for years; I have no idea what made me realize just tonight that the bottle could get me into trouble.

_________________"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so." --Douglas Adams

I've done that but we are on a war footing in America; persecution is just around the corner. I can't afford to lose jobs so I stopped doing it at work. Never underestimate how much Americans, and particularly modern ones, hate the Catholic Church.

One thing I like about wearing a hat is I tip it going past a Catholic or Orthodox church; subtle. I cross myself if hatless.

Yesterday was 'The Exaltation of the Holy Cross'.The homily was about making the sign of the cross when we go out such as for a meal in a restaurant. The preacher said we should be brave and good Catholics and make the sign of the cross with full confidence in view of everyone when saying grace. I feel that is being like the Pharisees. "Look how good I am".I do say grace, but quietly. Am I right.

________________________

Hello there Muirfield,

Making the sign of the Cross is an outward indication to people that you are a Catholic. I say do it! But, I am the type of guy to where I am Catholic and I could care less who knows it. Your personality is probably very different from mine, because I like to rile up Protestants and Atheists - - then I can share my faith with them. And, if anyone has a problem with you making the sign of the cross publicly, remember this; They have the problem and you don't. I enjoy wearing the ashes on AW too, just because it shows people that I am a Catholic. I am not ashamed of Jesus or His Church, I'm a sinner, and the world can know about it.

B40

_________________"I like to remember things my own way....not necessarily how they happened"..-Lost Highway

Yesterday was 'The Exaltation of the Holy Cross'.The homily was about making the sign of the cross when we go out such as for a meal in a restaurant. The preacher said we should be brave and good Catholics and make the sign of the cross with full confidence in view of everyone when saying grace. I feel that is being like the Pharisees. "Look how good I am".I do say grace, but quietly. Am I right.

________________________

Hello there Muirfield,

Making the sign of the Cross is an outward indication to people that you are a Catholic. I say do it! But, I am the type of guy to where I am Catholic and I could care less who knows it. Your personality is probably very different from mine, because I like to rile up Protestants and Atheists - - then I can share my faith with them. And, if anyone has a problem with you making the sign of the cross publicly, remember this; They have the problem and you don't. I enjoy wearing the ashes on AW too, just because it shows people that I am a Catholic. I am not ashamed of Jesus or His Church, I'm a sinner, and the world can know about it.

B40

_________________"I like to remember things my own way....not necessarily how they happened"..-Lost Highway

I just recently found the "blessing before meals" prayer in my "Laudate" phone app.... before I found it and started to learn commit it to memory, the sign of the cross WAS grace before meals at the restaurant. I had read in St Francis De Sales' book "The Sign of The Cross," that the sign itself IS a prayer, so that's why I used it as such. I recommend the book if one is up to a challenging sort of read. It isn't "light."